I: Different ways to pray -- My father and the figtree -- What kind of fool am I? -- Going to the spring -- Biography of an Armenian schoolgirl -- The words under the words -- Spark -- The man who makes brooms -- The garden of Abu Mahmoud -- Her way -- The clean rinse -- For Mohammed on the mountain -- Passing the refugee camp -- Lunch in Nablus City park -- Arabic coffee -- Red brocade -- Steps -- Prayer in my boot -- Thing's don't stop -- Even at war -- The grieving ring -- For the 500th dead Palestinian, Ibtisam Bozieh -- Those whom we do not know -- Visit -- The Palestinians have given up parties -- The small vases from Hebron -- Darling -- Fundamentalism -- My grandmother in the stars -- Rock -- Praying for wind -- Olive jar -- They dropped it -- II: 19 varieties of Gazelle -- Arabic -- Jerusalem -- Holy Land -- Half-and-half -- Stain -- My uncle's favorite coffee shop -- A definite shore -- Two countries -- The tray -- The many hats of William Yale -- What news are you listening to? -- Staying close -- Ducks -- The address book of a lonely man -- Footfall -- Trenches and moats and mounds of dirt -- What he said to his enemies -- Peace -- How long peace takes -- A single slice reveals them -- Stone house -- Jerusalem headlines 2000 -- Mr. Dajani, calling from Jericho -- All things not considered -- Blood

Nineteen poems about the Middle East and about being an Arab American living in the United States. "Tell me how to live so many lives at once ..." Fowzi, who beats everyone at dominoes Ibtisam, who wanted to be a doctor Abu Mahmoud, who knows every eggplant and peach in his West Bank garden mysterious Uncle Mohammed, who moved to the mountain a girl in a red sweater dangling a book bag children in velvet dresses who haunt the candy bowl at the party Baba Kamalyari, age 71 Mr. Dajani and his swans Sitti Khadra, who never lost her peace inside. Maybe they have something to tell us

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